Dog Training Tips - STOP BARKING!...DIGGING!...JUMPING!

Tips To Correct Dog Behavior Problems

From the desk of: JH
September 20, 2006

DOGS! Man’s best friend? Well, most of the time. At times my dogs were driving me and my neighbors crazy!
Barking at every little thing (sometimes even the wind!), digging up my yard, jumping on visitors, escaping over and under the fence. UGHHH!

I had had enough. I set out to find a solution. Dog obedience school here we come. We signed up for a class sponsored by one of the big Pets**** stores. The once per week class was made up of many different breeds and ages (both two-legged and four-legged ;) ). The trainer was good - but definitely not that dog whisperer guy!

What did we learn?

For training to be successful:

  • You must be patient and persistent.
  • You must have your dog’s attention.
  • The right supplies are a must (a six foot training lead and a training collar, and snacks for rewards).
  • Always use praise (and rewards) your dog when he learns a new command or trick.
  • Never hit or spank your dog. To correct your dog’s bad behavior, use the opportunity to teach him the 'stop!', 'no!', or ‘stay’ commands.
  • Spent some time playing with your dog - daily. This strengthens your bond with you dog.
  • Do a bit of training everyday – your dog’s skills must be reinforced.
  • And finally – do not rush the training of your dog.

OK that was a good start, but one of the problems with a class like that is that it ends. You and your four-legged friend likely forget the lessons and skills learned. I know we did!

What we needed was constant “refresher” training. With that in mind, we began looking for good, high quality lessons we could refer back to. We looked at many courses on the web, DVD and video and found that there is only one I could recommend. Not only does the course teach basic obedience, but the instructor shows how to teach your dog a few tricks. The course is web based, of high quality and teaches with video – watch the host and repeat what she does. There’s even a sample “lesson” to review. Get it – you will not regret it!

Remember that while training your dog, you are also training and yourself. This process is a mixture of patience and persistence. Spend a few minutes every day working with your dog and the behavior problems will (eventually) go away.

My recommended course can be found here Dove Cresswell.

I’m not sure how long she will have this course available, so if you need the help, order now.

-jh    

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